Boston Celtics at Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, January 2 is about as close to a coin flip as the ratings get, with the Trail Blazers at only 55%. Small things like rest, health and shooting variance should decide it.
Why it is so close
The Win Meter reads the Trail Blazers 55%, with a projected score of Boston Celtics 113, Portland Trail Blazers 114. The rating gap is 65 points in favor of the Celtics, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Trail Blazers on top of that.
Readings in this range leave plenty of room for the other side. About 45 times in 100 games like this, the Celtics would win.
Recent form
The Celtics are 1-1 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -8.4. The Trail Blazers are 2-0 this season and 2-3 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -0.6.
The Celtics were beaten 113-97 at home by PHI not long ago.
The Trail Blazers' best recent win was 124-83 at home against PHX.
The Trail Blazers were beaten 114-93 at home by SAS not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Devin Carter (BOS), expected back Nov 8, 2026, Shaedon Sharpe (POR), expected back Mar 2, 2027, Chris Youngblood (POR), expected back Oct 27, 2026, and Branden Carlson (POR), expected back Oct 27, 2026.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Celtics lead 3-1, with the Celtics outscoring the Trail Blazers by an average of 6.2 points per game. The last meeting was POR 94, BOS 102.